USA > Georgia > Wilkinson County > History of Wilkinson County > Part 3
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The war constantly growing worse, the federal authori- ties sent James White as Commissioner to make a treaty with the Indians in April, 1787. Meeting with McGilli-
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vray and many of the chiefs of the Indians at Cussetah he attempted to make peace. McGillivray was in complete control at this meeting and after a courteous introduction put forward as the main speaker for the Creeks none other than the very chiefs who had executed the treaties of Augusta, Galphinton, and Shoulderbone, who had been so ostracised by the Indians since that time they were now in a mood to repudiate these treaties. This they proceeded to do in the most emphatic terms, threatening immediate war unless the Georgians should retire from the Oconee to the old line. McGillivray now came forward and pro- posed that if a new state should be formed south of the Altamaha he would be the first to take the oath of alle- giance. He then announced to White that he would give him until the first of August for an answer.
No answer arriving, the war now broke out in re- doubled fury. It seemed as if the whole Creek nation was united and ready to do the bidding of McGillivray. As never before the settlers on the east bank of the Oconee felt the full weight of his vengeance. His hordes poured across the river burning, pillaging, massacring and scalping. Swooping down upon the fort guarding the town of Greensboro, they burned it as well as the town. Although the Seminole Indians who were now living main- ly in Florida but who still owned the bulk of the vast ter- ritory which was later to become Wilkinson county, yet we find their warwhoops mingling with those of the other Creeks and doing much mischief. (Ind. Affairs Vol. I, Page 30. )
In addition to this tribe it seems that the bloody Uchee tribe which was usually closely allied with the Seminoles was doing its part in this immediate section. On through 1788 the war was raging. White's Statistics of Georgia, pages 677, 678, tells of the bloody scenes occurring in the neighborhood of Kemp's fort in Washington county.
In addition to the Indian foes there was another
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enemy to be dreaded more than these, the lawless Tory element which at the end of the Revolution had been forced to flee from Georgia and had now taken up their abode among the Indian towns. They, too, had a grudge to repay as did McGillivray, for many of these had prop- erty confiscated by the State of Georgia. The sparsely set- tled country along the Oconee where they could steal horses and other property and then flee into the Indian country was an opportunity not to be overlooked.
And of all enemies none was so hated as were these Tories by the Georgians. The bloody massacres of the In- dians and the horror of their deeds during the Revolution could be excused as being acts incited by the Tories. But nothing could atone for the deeds of these who instead of aiding in establishing the liberties of Georgia had done their utmost to lay it in waste, and caused the patriots of Georgia to suffer as no other state suffered. McGillivray thus found in these who had been outlawed by Georgia, strong, able and willing allies. The Indian towns furnished them not only a haven of refuge from the infuriated Geor- gians, but also a market for their stolen goods. To these Tories is due much of troublous times which for years afterwards afflicted both Georgia and the Creek nation. For many of them rising into leadership among the red warriors were constantly inciting them to mischief.
JOHN GALPHIN'S FAMOUS RIDE
It was about this time that John Galphin, the half-breed son of George Galphin, the famous trader among the In- dians and patriot extraordinary, comes into prominence. John and his brother, George, had settled in Washington county, John near Kemp's fort. On one occasion rumors of an impending attack having reached the ears of Cap- tain Kemp, commanding this fort, the families which fled to the fort for protection sent John as a spy through this section to gain information and prevent a massacre. En
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route to the Indian country, on the Lower Uchee Trial probably, he met a band of the hostiles who passed him without molestation. No sooner than out of their sight he turned his horse about and taking another route hurried as fast as possible to warn the settlers of the approach of the enemy. Exhausting the strength of his horse, he dismounted and continued his journey for forty miles on foot arriving in time to give the alarm and the Indian massacre was averted. John later accused the Washington countians of ingratitude towards him and became a bitter enemy. (Ind. Af. Vol. I, p. 36.)
CHAPTER VI McGILLIVRAY'S VICTORY AT ROCK LANDING
THE power and influence of McGillivray over the Creeks continued to wax stronger as he took advantage of the cession of lands east of the Oconee and the Tall- assee country and used this to fan the Creek nation into a frenzy against the Georgians. No man knew how to play upon their prejudices and hatred better than he. Through- out the domains of the mighty Creek nation his word was now law, and the red warriors glad of the opportunity to accumulate the coveted scalps, were ever ready to fall upon the Georgians, or the settlements on the Cumber- land. It was well for this section along the Oconee that McGillivray was a chieftain better skilled in diplomacy than in leadership in battle, and that he would send his lieutenants to lead the raiding bands instead of going in person. Had he been a warrior as well as the great diplo- mat that he was, history might have told a different story.
Having made the treaty with Spain which not only guaranteed him an abundance of military stores, arms and ammunitions for the Creeks, but the aid of armies and the naval power of this nation, McGillivray's dreams be- gan to expand, and he was now planning a far greater In- dian Confederacy than that of the Creek nation with himself at the head of it, one that would embrace the Cherokee, the Choctaw and the Chickasaw nations as well. It was a dream well within the realm of possibility and one worthy of the mastermind of this "Talleyrand of Alabama." His successes in battle along the Oconee and on the Cumberland, his growing power and fame had spread into these nations. Added to this was his partner- ship in the Panton, Leslie & Co., the English firm trading
. (35)
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from the Floridas whose traders were scattered through- out all these four great nations, and whose great influence among the Indians was turned towards the consummation of this great dream of McGillivray. But, perhaps above all was the ceaseless activities of Spain. In this projected Confederacy this power saw a strong buffer state lying between her American colonies and the rapidly growing young Republic of the north, a buffer state which would be closely allied to Spain and at the same time in bitter hos- tility to the United States. No effort was spared to bring this about and the other nations besides the Creeks were given access to the Spanish arsenals.
While the Indian massacres were at their height along the Oconee, McGillivray played another stroke of diplo- macy in having Spain to file protests to the American gov- ernment over the alleged mistreatment of the Creeks, by the Georgians. These protests led to considerable discus- sion and at one time threatened to lead to war between the United States and Spain. Only the weakness of the bankrupt federal government at the time probably pre- vented war.
But a new movement was on foot which was destined to affect the trend of history in this section. The federal con- stitution was in process of being adopted, uniting the states more closely than the loosely joined federation could ever have done. And McGillivray, master diplomat that he was, kept his ear to the ground. Foreseeing the growing strength of the American Republic and know- ing the weakness of the Spanish colonies, he recognized the fact that sooner or later it would be to his best inter- ests to become allied with the Americans rather than risk all by remaining loyal to the alliance with Spain. We thus find him frequently intimating to the Federal government that he would entertain overtures for an alliance with the United States.
During 1788 every possible effort was being exerted
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towards placating the fury of the Creeks. Although a truce was proclaimed by the Governor of Georgia in July of that year, yet this seems to have been of short dura- tion. So fierce was now the conflict that Governor Pinck- ney of South Carolina tendered his services as a mediator to bring about peace between the Creeks and Georgia. Likewise Congress taking cognizance of the plight the state of Georgia was in passed a resolution notifying the Creeks that if they persisted in refusing to enter into a treaty upon reasonable terms the arms of the United States should be called forth for the protection of the frontier.
All these efforts, however, proved unavailing. McGilli- vray in a very diplomatic letter to Governor Pinckney in February, 1789, placed the grievances of the Indians be- fore the governor in a very convincing manner, and at the same time assured him that every effort was being made to have all the Indian tribes to keep the truce which was still in force.
However, during the spring of 1789, hostilities broke out anew and in spite of the threats of the federal govern- ment, the Indians began preparing for a new offensive against the Georgia settlements. As if in answer to the threat of Congress, McGillivray, called a great council of all the chiefs of the whole Creek nation, and informed them that the Georgians were not going to give up the lands between the Oconee and the Ogeechee, and in- formed them that the Spaniards had already provided fif- teen hundred stands of arms and forty thousand pounds of ammunition for the use of the Creeks. The Creeks ex- ulting at the prospect of an opportunity to recover their lost lands were ready for an immediate onslaught upon the settlements. Plans were made and three thousand Creeks were ready to make a drive which should sweep away all the settlers west of the Ogeechee, and the Indian alarms extended to the very heart of Savannah, itself.
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Parties were on the warpath, when the new federal com- missioners, Osborne and Pickens, came on the scene and despatched the two half-breed brothers, John and George Galphin, to the Indian nation with a new invitation for a treaty. They arrived in the nation in May, 1789, and just in the nick of time. The date set for the proposed treaty was in June, 1789, and it was suggested that a truce be in force until the treaty was held. The Galphin brothers suc- ceeded in inducing the nearest Indian towns to withhold their warriors and to send runners to intercept bands al- ready on the march to the frontier, until the answer of McGillivray in Alabama could be had to the new pro- posals. McGillivray refused to attend the meeting in June or allow it to be held thus putting an end to all prospects of holding it then, but suggested a date for three or four months later, and agreed upon a truce until then. How- ever, he adroitly suggested that the chiefs of the Creeks would like to know upon what grounds the Commissioners wanted to treat. The commissioners promptly wrote Mc- Gillivray that the treaty which should be offered to be signed would be upon liberal grounds, and significantly stated that they would like to see McGillivray privately before the treaty was made. The meeting date for the treaty was thus fixed for September 15th, 1789.
Both the authorities of the state of Georgia and the federal authorities being informed of the date set for the treaty began making every preparation that would tend towards making a complete success of it. Georgia appro- priated several thousand dollars and supplied Osborne and Pickens with necessities for the immense army of In- dians which was expected to attend. In the meantime three other commissioners were appointed to supersede Osborne and Pickens, in spite of the fact that General Pickens was considered a friend of McGillivray, and in whom McGillivray had the utmost confidence, these three new commissioners being Cyrus Griffin, a former
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president of the Continental Congress, David Humph- reys, one of Washington's military aides, and General Lincoln who had commanded the southern army during the Revolution. It is doubtful that if ever in her history were so many celebrities on Wilkinson county's soil as were at this treaty.
The new commissioners were delayed in arriving at Sa- vannah until September IIth, when they sent couriers to Osborne and Pickens notifying them of the fact that Washington had made the new appointments for the treaty, and that they would shortly arrive on the scene.
In the meantime McGillivray and his horde of Indian warriors numbering not less than two thousand arrived at the Rock Landing on the 2nd of September. Never since the days of De Soto had there been such an army of Indians in this county. On the opposite side of the river was the small company of artillery under Burbeck. The contrast in the strength of the negotiating parties must have had its effect upon both the numerous Indian chief- tains as well as upon the commissioners of the United States. It might well have impressed upon the American authorities a wholesome respect for the man who could wield such a power over such an army of savages. Cus- tomary as it was for the Indians to operate in small bands, yielding obedience only to those who kept in close contact with them, this was indeed an epoch in the history of the Creek nation when so many warriors were ready to do the bidding of one man.
The arrival of the intelligence that they had been super- seded as commissioners prevented any further negotia- tions by Osborne and Pickens, although they continued their exertions towards keeping the great motley body of Indians satisfied and in a good humor-apparently a hercu- lean task judging from the records. Food in enormous quantities had to be provided. Separation of the Indians from the settlers across the river must be maintained.
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On the 15th, the new commissioners still not having arrived, McGillivray served notice on Osborne and Pick- ens that unless new commissioners arrived by the 18th, the Indians would depart. An express was sent with this message to the new commissioners which met them upon their arrival in Augusta. Astounded at the information they at once sent couriers with a letter to McGillivray as- suring them that they would start at once for the Rock Landing and would arrive there on the 20th of September. One can imagine the wily chieftain of the Creeks smiling to himself at the thought of the three dignified Ministers Plenipotentiary of the United States galloping headlong over the hundred miles of rough frontier roads separat- ing Augusta and the Rock Landing in order to reach there before the Indians departed. It was indeed not surprising that one of the commissioners failed to arrive on the 20th, having been "unavoidably detained" on the road. Two of them arrived in the afternoon of the 20th, probably slight- ly sore from their ride, but at once sent a note to McGilli- vray with their "respectful compliments."
McGillivray waited until next day to acknowledge this and then replied in the courteous manner for which he was so well noted. At the same time he sent three of his most prominent chiefs to call upon the commissioners, to wel- come them and assure them of their earnest desire for peace.
From the very beginning of the negotiations there was always evident the masterful tactics of the great Indian chieftain, in putting the commissioners on the defen- sive. Instead of crossing the river and greeting the com- missioners, he sent an invitation for one or two of them to cross the river and call upon him for an interview, an invitation so tactfully worded that the Commission- ers could do nothing but accept. The next day he re- turned the visit and spent the greater part of the day with the commissioners on the east side of the Oconee. The
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question of his Spanish treaty being raised he frankly ad- mitted his alliance with the Spaniards and his rank of Col- onel in the Spanish army, stating that the treaty had been of great benefit to the Creeks as well as of pecuniary ad- vantage to himself. However he adroitly insinuated that he would be willing to renounce his allegiance to Spain and take the oath of allegiance to the United Sates if some- thing better should be offered.
The other commissioner arrived on the 23rd and appar- ently every demand of the commissioners upon the In- dians would be granted and the greater part of the day was spent in drafting the proposed treaty for the Indians to sign. They had fallen into the trap laid for them by Mc- Gillivray, who had skilfully maneuvered the negotiations so as to create a feeling on the part of the commissioners that all their demands would be acceded to by the Indians.
Twenty thousand dollars had been appropriated by Congress in addition to that furnished by Georgia for the expenses of this treaty, for presents for the Indians and the payment of such sums as might be necessary to induce the Indians to sign a reasonable agreement.
Washington, in his instructions to the commissioners had also authorized them to offer as another inducement for the Indians to sever their allegiance with the Span- iards a free port on the Altamaha through which the Creeks could import and export their merchandise on the same terms as citizens of the United States; also to offer to McGillivray a military distinction superior to the colonelcy given him by the Spaniards. They were also in- structed not only to make peace between Georgia and the Creeks but to look into the treaties of Augusta, Galphin- ton, and Shoulderbone and see if any unfair methods had been practiced by the Georgians in obtaining cessions of the land lying between the Ogeechee and the Oconee ; that if they found these treaties to have been fair to treat with the Indians for a confirmation of them, and if the Creeks
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should refuse to confirm these treaties, to inform them that any further molestation or injury to Georgia would be punished by the arms of the United States. Instructions were given that if the disputed lands had been acquired by unfair means, then the commissioners were authorized to purchase them from the Indians. A very significant sen- tence is found in these instructions to the commissioners which was sufficient to impress upon them the great re- sponsibility that was resting upon them, the necessity of their success in negotiating the treaty and the dire results which might be realized upon their failure : "On your suc- cess materially depends the internal peace of Georgia and probably its attachment to the general government of the United States."
The overconfidence of the commissioners seems to have affected their draft of the treaty and the terms which were provided required the confirmation of the cession of the lands granted at Augusta, Galphinton and Shoulder- bone, with but very little in return. After having it re- duced to writing the commissioners notified McGillivray that they were ready for the meeting with the Indians. Here again McGillivray put the commissioners on the de- fensive by suggesting that they come to the Indian camp and hold the meeting there. Again the commissioners crossed the Oconee at his bidding and at the meeting after a short talk to the Indians by the commissioners, which was received with apparent approval by the Indians, but which was not replied to by McGillivray or any of the In- dians thus leaving no opportunity for any further discus- sion by the commissioners, there was nothing else to do but leave the draft of the treaty with the Indians for their action. This was done and the commissioners recrossed the river, apparently believing their mission fully accom- plished.
McGillivray was now absolutely master of the situa- tion. He had completely outgeneraled the Ministers Pleni-
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potentiary of the United States and by strategy had caused them to draft a treaty for the Indians to sign such as would hardly be considered sufficiently reasonable by Washington as to cause a war to be declared. against the Creeks for refusing to sign it. The commissioners having left the meeting and returned across the river gave him the opportunity of treating the draft of the treaty as an ultimatum. The treaty was thus promptly rejected by the Indians.
The next day McGillivray wrote the commissioners that the Indians were dissatisfied at the terms mentioned and tactfully suggested that a truce be maintained until he heard further from the United States, ending by saying that the Indians were resolved to depart and suggesting that presents be supplied the Indians. To this the com- missioners hastily replied urging him not to depart but bluntly refusing to give any presents unless a treaty were made. One of the commissioners hurriedly crossed the river and interviewed McGillivray getting his promise to come across the river and confer with the commissioners, but the next information was a verbal message from him that he would fall back four or five miles to obtain forage for his horses. Instead of falling back this distance he re- tired fifteen miles and later to the Ocmulgee.
Consternation now reigned in the camp of the commis- sioners. The negotiations for a treaty which meant so much to Georgia and the United States, as well as to the reputation of the Ministers Plenipotentiary were about to fail utterly. They had been completely foiled by "the savage from the wilderness of Alabama." As a last resort one of the superseded commissioners, General Pick- ens, who was still at the Rock Landing accompanied by Messrs. Few and Saunders of the delegation appointed by the governor of Georgia to attend the treaty was sent to overtake McGillivray and induce him to return but to no effect. A letter was also written McGillivray by the
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commissioners in the form of a threat in which they stated that if he departed without a full discussion it would be regarded as a refusal to establish peace. To this he re- plied in a very courteous letter stating that the chiefs had entreated him to depart and "We sincerely desire a peace but we cannot sacrifice much to obtain it."
This master in the art of diplomacy had now achieved his ends. He had skilfully demonstrated to the American government his great power over the Creek Indians, as well as to his unequaled skill as a diplomat. He had shown the Americans how necessary it was to have his allegiance, and had hinted as to what his price for that would be. Likewise, he was causing much apprehension among the Spaniards at the prospect of losing his allegiance, and could now play off one nation against the other in his de- mands on each. His agreement to a truce was a masterful stroke in that it averted all prospect of a war against the Creeks, not merely convincing Washington that war was unnecessary but unwise at this juncture, but would also have the effect of putting Georgia in an embarrassing position should she send armies against the Creeks, thus making them the aggressors in the eyes of the other states. Then, too, he was getting his revenge : well might he now gloat over his "cause of triumph, in bringing these conquerors of the old masters of the new world, as they call themselves, to bend and supplicate for peace at the feet of a people whom shortly before they despised and marked out for destruction." His diplomatic victory at the Rock Landing was unquestionably the most important event in the life of this great chieftain. His star was now in its zenith. He was indeed and in truth the Great Chief- tain of the Creeks.
CHAPTER VII SPANISH AND BRITISH INTRIGUES-THE FALL OF McGILLIVRAY
B UT the refusal of McGillivray to sign the dotted line at Rock Landing was not the signal for the federal government to rush armies into the Creek country. Presi- dent Washington first considered the matter, and after an investigation as to the distance inland the armies would have to march and the supplies be transported, he found that the campaign would cost at least fifteen million dol- lars. He found it would be much cheaper to buy McGilli- vray. Colonel Marinus Willett was thus despatched to McGillivray on a confidential mission with an invitation for McGillivray to visit the President. The upshot was the treaty of New York in which McGillivray was given a commission as Brigadier General, and other emoluments for himself and six of his trusty chieftains, and the return to the Creeks of the Tallassee country, the claim to the Oconee lands to be relinquished by the Indians. McGilli- vray made a most excellent bargain both for the Creeks and for himself.
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